Dye exhaustion and dryer apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus for dye application to textile manufactures, exhaustion of the applied dye, and drying of the textile manufacture. The apparatus, in some implementations, includes a dye applicator that applies dye evenly to a textile manufacture of varying length, one or more microwave elements for heating the textile manufacture with applied dye to exhaust the dye, and a blower system to dry the textile manufacture after application of the applied dye.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus, comprising:
 a platform defining a substantially flat top surface upon which a textile manufacture may be received; 
 a first housing in movable disposition relative to the platform such that:
 the first housing, in a first position, defines a substantially enclosed cavity in which the flat top surface of the platform defines a bottom surface of the substantially enclosed cavity; and 
 the first housing, in a second position, allows access to the top surface of the platform for placement and removal of the textile manufacture; 
 
 a microwave device including a magnetron and a waveguide operatively positioned relative to the first housing when the first housing is in the first position such that magnetron guides microwaves into the substantially enclosed cavity when the magnetron is energized; 
 a blower device that, when the first housing is in the first position, is fluidly coupled to the substantially enclosed cavity and blows air into the substantially enclosed cavity when energized; and 
 a control subsystem electrically coupled to the microwave device and the blower device and that, during a first time period, causes the microwave device to be energized and the blower device to be de-energized and that, during a second time period after the first time period, causes the microwave device to be de-energized and the blower device to be energized; 
 wherein the platform further includes a supply plenum and a return plenum that, when the first housing is in the first position, are fluidly coupled to the substantially enclosed cavity, and wherein:
 the supply plenum includes a respective wall portion that defines a supply hole through which the blower device is fluidly coupled to the supply plenum so that air is communicated into the substantially enclosed cavity through the supply hole, and through the supply plenum; 
 the return plenum includes a respective wall portion that defines an exit hole, and air communicated into the substantially enclosed cavity is communicated from the substantially enclosed cavity through the return plenum and exits the return plenum through the exit hole; and 
 the supply plenum and the return plenum are separate plenums that are below the flat top surface and that are separated by a divider below the flat stop surface; and 
 
 the platform defines a longitudinal axis, and the supply plenum is located on a first side of the longitudinal axis and the return plenum is located on a second side of the longitudinal axis that is opposite the first side. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the platform defines a first side and a second side on the respective sides of the first and second sides of the longitudinal axis and the first and second sides of the platform define a first width; 
 the substantially flat top surface is of a second width that is less than the first width and positioned relative the longitudinal axis such that a first gap exists between the first side of the platform and a first side of the substantially flat top surface and a second gap exists between the second side of the platform and a second side of the substantially flat top surface; and 
 an egress of the supply plenum is located at the first gap and an ingress of the return plenum is located at the second gap. 
 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the substantially flat top surface comprises:
 a first sheet having a plurality of first perforations; and 
 a plurality of second sheets, each in slidable disposition relative to the first sheet, and each having a respective plurality of second perforations; 
 
 wherein:
 when each second sheet is slidably disposed in a respective first position, the first and second perforations are aligned to form a respective egress for a respective portion of the supply plenum and a respective ingress for a respective portion of the return plenum; and 
 when each second sheet is slidably disposed in a respective second position, the first and second perforations are not aligned such that the respective portion of the supply plenum does not have an egress for the second sheet and the respective portion of the return plenum does not have an ingress for the second sheet. 
 
 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first housing is connected to one or more hinge devices such that the movable disposition relative to the platform is rotational. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first housing is connected to a vertical elevator device such that the movable disposition relative to the platform is elevational. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a cavity barrier connected to the first housing so that:
 the cavity barrier is in parallel planar disposition to the substantially flat top surface when the first housing is in the first disposition; and 
 the cavity barrier substantially fluidly isolates a top portion of the substantially enclosed cavity from a bottom portion of the substantially enclosed cavity that includes the top surface of the platform. 
 
 
     
     
       7. An apparatus, comprising:
 a platform defining a substantially flat top surface upon which a textile manufacture may be received; 
 a first housing in movable disposition relative to the platform such that:
 the first housing, in a first position, defines a substantially enclosed cavity in which the flat top surface of the platform defines a bottom surface of the substantially enclosed cavity; and 
 the first housing, in a second position, allows access to the top surface of the platform for placement and removal of the textile manufacture; 
 
 a microwave device including a magnetron and a waveguide operatively positioned relative to the first housing when the first housing is in the first position such that magnetron guides microwaves into the substantially enclosed cavity when the magnetron is energized; 
 a blower device that, when the first housing is in the first position, is fluidly coupled to the substantially enclosed cavity and blows air into the substantially enclosed cavity when energized; and 
 a control subsystem electrically coupled to the microwave device and the blower device and that, during a first time period, causes the microwave device to be energized and the blower device to be de-energized and that, during a second time period after the first time period, causes the microwave device to be de-energized and the blower device to be energized; 
 wherein the platform defines a longitudinal axis, and further comprising: 
 a dye applicator carriage that is movably disposed along the longitudinal axis relative to the flat top surface and is configured to deposit dye on a textile manufacture received on the top surface as the dye applicator carriage traverses the longitudinal axis. 
 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the dye applicator carriage comprises:
 a dye applicator that deposits dye onto the textile manufacture; and 
 a crush roller that rolls over the textile manufacture after the dye is deposited onto the textile manufacture.